Editorials, Opinion

The local paper: Trusted source for community news

Oct. 3 to Oct. 9 marks National Newspaper Week. Of the many obscure awareness days, this one is near and dear to our hearts, for obvious reasons.

Every day — seven days a week, including holidays — we work to bring you local, community-oriented news.

The key word there is “local.”

Local events. Local businesses. Local government.

We send reporters and photographers out to cover everything from high school football games to road accidents or construction that may impact your commute.

We let you know what small businesses are up-and-coming and remind you about the ones that have become the cornerstones of our communities.

We highlight the individuals and organizations that are on the cutting edge of research or serving members of the public.

We attend school board, city council and county commission meetings, so you can know what your local government is doing (and so you don’t have to). We carefully monitor the state Legislature’s sessions and keep you informed about proposed and passed bills. We stay up-to-date on Congress’ most important legislation and let you know where our U.S. Congress members stand and how they’ve voted.

We bring you the national news, too, and make sure to report on how national trends, policies or markets can impact us here in West Virginia.

All through the COVID-19 pandemic, we have brought you the daily case count and transmission rate. We have tuned in to Gov. Justice’s COVID briefings and given you the play-by-play on Twitter and the summary in the paper. We have talked to health experts at WVU, Mon Health and the county health departments both in Monongalia and Preston counties. We’ve interviewed frontline workers and brought you the stories of COVID survivors.

We have made every effort to keep you informed about all the latest developments regarding COVID-19 — from mask mandates to vaccine availability — to help keep you safe as we all work toward finally reaching a post-pandemic world.

Readers can find national news almost anywhere, but local journalism is the trusted source for what’s going on in your community.

We are proud to serve you, and we appreciate your continued support.

We’ll continue to bring you the local news — today and every day.